my uncle dropped his board off yesterday. he wants me to fix his finbox, but im not sure what to do in this situation. The groove inside the box that runs around it (the groove the peg on the fin slides in) is cracked all the way around. there is a small crack at the bottom of the box. one side of box is delaminating (i have no idea how all this happened). and the top of the fin box is nearly separated from the bottom half due to that crack. the rest of the board is in nearly perfect condition, so i need some way to fix it. it is also the type of box that goes thru the deck for a leash plug/hole thing. is it possible to replace a fin box? what would be the best way to go about doing this (especially since part of it goes all the way thru). i was thinking of just filling it with resin, using some rope and cloth and glassing his fin in permanently, but he’d rather have a box. any suggestions on what to do here would be most helpful. thanks, steve
my uncle dropped his board off yesterday. he wants me to fix his finbox, > but im not sure what to do in this situation. The groove inside the box > that runs around it (the groove the peg on the fin slides in) is cracked > all the way around. there is a small crack at the bottom of the box. one > side of box is delaminating (i have no idea how all this happened). and > the top of the fin box is nearly separated from the bottom half due to > that crack. the rest of the board is in nearly perfect condition, so i > need some way to fix it. it is also the type of box that goes thru the > deck for a leash plug/hole thing. is it possible to replace a fin box? > what would be the best way to go about doing this (especially since part > of it goes all the way thru). i was thinking of just filling it with > resin, using some rope and cloth and glassing his fin in permanently, but > he’d rather have a box. any suggestions on what to do here would be most > helpful. you could probably use a router with a carbide bit to carefully remove the finbox, drill out the part that goes through the deck and just glass in a whole new fin box. just be careful when routing near the the edges. make a small depth of cut so the router doesn’t jump out into the softer foam. i read about this somewhere but i don’t remember where. i’m not just making it up. probably other people with more repair experience would have more suggestions. trev
My two cents - I would make a jig for the bad fin box. Determine the length and width of the original route, then measure the distance from the outer edge of the router base to the outer edge of the router bit. This is your varience from what you will be cutting in relation to where your guide is in contact with the jig. This will determine your jig dimensions. I have used a decent piece of cardboard for this and have taped it in place with good duct tape. I always mark the center of the jig, so that when I place it on the board it is easy to center. It sounds difficult, but it really isn’t. As far as I know the leash hole is made after the fact. I have never seen a box with it in already. What I have done in the past is put in the box, let it kick. Then from the deck I drilled a hole (oversized, say 1/2") in to the fin box, not through. Then fill that hole with resin and pigment, let that kick, sand it flat, then drill another hole (like a 1/4 to 3/8") right in the middle of your previous oversized hole straight through the box. That way you have got a hole through the board that is sealed on all sides. The hardest thing I have found doing this is keeping your holes straight and clean. I could be way off base on how others do it but I have used this method and it works. Someone may be able to tell you a faster method. You could always just drop a leash cup in it, or get a sick on, or glass a loop (kind of ghetto). I hope some of this helped, or at least gave you some ideas of what to do or what not to do.
it’s a strange fin box, but i have seen a few like it. its the normal box, but then there’s a small plastic cylinder attached to the box which goes thru the deck. when everything is all done, the plastic cylinder is drilled out (thru the deck and out thru the bottom in the fin box) to make the leash hole. im not sure if thats what you were talking about, but hopefully that may clarify it a little bit. -steve
I have never seen a box like that. I was using just a regular fins unlimited box.
I have never seen a box like that. I was using just a regular fins > unlimited box. There’s a finbox brand on the market called Chinook, on the bottom part these boxes have a part that goes all the way to the deck, just drill the hole afterwards. There very strong boxes, I think they come from the windsurfing world. Peter Rijk.
There’s a finbox brand on the market called Chinook, on the bottom part > these boxes have a part that goes all the way to the deck, just drill the > hole afterwards. There very strong boxes, I think they come from the > windsurfing world.>>> Peter Rijk. The Chinook Power Boxes are indeed for windsurfers. they are super strong but very heavy. i think they are also a bit deeper for more fin engagement. i have one in a windsurfer that i built, they also have extra wood slats outside the stringer for more reinforcement. i would think that it would be real overkill to have a box like that on a surfboard. the fin on a windsurfer has to counteract all the lateral force generated by the sail which is alot more than just stopping your bodyweight from sliding sideways down the wave. trev
its exactly the same as the normal fin boxes except it has a special part to drill out. maybe there are different types becaue its nearly identical, and they are using them on lots of surfboards now. -steve